Nosferatu, a symphony of horror (1922).
Growing up on films like The Exorcist, Saw and George Romero's flesh-tearing zombie movies, Nosferatu is unlikely to scare this generation but this silent film has an undeniable power to haunt our memories and it was creepily effective despite my initial reservations. Most of its appeal comes from its mood and settings, thanks to German expressionist pioneer F.W. Murnau and the ghoulish and feral vampire called Count Orlok played by Max Schreck who brings pestilence and death to wherever he goes.
Because the studio could not obtain the rights to the novel, this is an unauthorized adaptation of Dracula with character names changed (the widow of Bram Stroker took them to court and wanted to destroy this film). In the hands of Murnau, however, this movie plays like a fever dream even though the stop-motion photography has not aged particularly well. The deathly appeal of Count Orlok who seems to tower over his environs remains timeless. For this, the director Murnau uses low-angles and dramatic shadows in actual Eastern European settings. This combination of real-life settings and cinematic techniques was not lost on future horror auteur, Alfred Hitchcock, particularly in Psycho.
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| F.W. Murnau |
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| Max Schreck. |
Nosferatu is without a doubt one of the influential movies films of all time, but being a product of 1920s there are a few issues. There are moments where the screen goes completely black, while the text, presented in bold white typeface is displayed. Background music was composed for this film which can either enhance or distract the flow. Having said that "Nosferatu" is more effective for being silent because those things that live at night do not need to talk, they only need to wait while we are asleep.
Availability: This movie is available for free on Youtube and is also available in two-disc special edition.
Credits:
Directed by F. W. Murnau.
Starring: Max Schrec, Gustav von Wangenheim and Greta Schröder.
Running time 94 minutes.
Country Weimar Republic.
